Playwright MCP vs SeleniumBase MCP
Two MCP servers from our browser automation ranking, compared on live data - updated nightly, never sponsored.
Bottom line · 2026-09-18
Playwright MCP records significantly more monthly package installs (23,360,601 vs 2,076,176); both are actively maintained, with commits inside the last month.
How they differ in kind
Playwright MCP focuses on: A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities using Playwright. SeleniumBase MCP focuses on: All-in-one Browser Automation Framework: Web Crawling / Testing / Scraping / Stealth. Implementation languages differ (TypeScript vs Python).
What each one does
Playwright MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides browser automation capabilities using Playwright. This server enables LLMs to interact with web pages through structured accessibility snapshots, bypassing the need for screenshots or visually-tuned models. Its README documents 13 tools, including browser_click, browser_close, browser_console_messages.
From the project's README.
SeleniumBase MCP
All-in-one Browser Automation Framework: Web Crawling / Testing / Scraping / Stealth. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.
From the project's README.
14 signals, side by side
| Signal | Playwright MCP | SeleniumBase MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly installs | 23,360,601 | 2,076,176 |
| GitHub stars | 37,231 | 13,024 |
| Last commit | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-18 |
| Releases · last 90 days | 5 | 10+ |
| In the registry since | May 2026 | Sep 2026 |
| Registry versions | 10 | 9 |
| Documented tools | 13 | not extracted - see README |
| Env vars extracted | none extracted - see README | none extracted - see README |
| Runs | local (stdio) | local (stdio) |
| Endpoint auth | local only | local only |
| Maintenance | actively maintained | actively maintained |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Category rank | #1 of 255 | #3 of 255 |
What their tools cover
Extracted from each project's README - the tools each server hands your agent. A missing list means the README doesn't document one, not that no tools exist.
Playwright MCP 13 tools documented
browser_click- Perform click on a web pagebrowser_close- Close the pagebrowser_console_messages- Returns all console messagesbrowser_drag- Perform drag and drop between two elementsbrowser_drop- Drop files or MIME-typed data onto an element, as if dragged from…browser_evaluate- Evaluate JavaScript expression on page or elementbrowser_file_upload- Upload one or multiple filesbrowser_fill_form- Fill multiple form fields
+5 more on the full page
SeleniumBase MCP no tool list in README
In the wild
Public posts about Playwright MCP or SeleniumBase MCP. Linked sources - not MCPhq reviews or ratings.
-
@simonw · · Claude Code + real browser control · Playwright MCP
“Now Claude Code can use a Chrome browser directly! Here's my TIL: Using Playwright MCP with Claude Code.”
-
@debs_obrien · · Manual QA without reading source · Playwright MCP
“Manual Testing with AI - Used Playwright MCP + a simple prompt file to test my site. no source code. Navigated to the podcast page.”
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@debs_obrien · · One-click VS Code install · Playwright MCP
“it is super easy to install the Playwright MCP with the new VS Code settings. No CLI, No JSON, just click install.”
Which one, for what
Derived from the signals above, not hands-on testing.
Pick Playwright MCP if…
- → you want the more widely installed option - 23,360,601 monthly installs vs 2,076,176
- → you prefer a TypeScript codebase to extend or audit
Pick SeleniumBase MCP if…
- → release velocity matters - 10+ releases in 90 days vs 5
- → you prefer a Python codebase to extend or audit
Who's behind them
Playwright MCP - microsoft: 9 MCP servers tracked, 9 maintained, 44,340 combined stars. Full record.
SeleniumBase MCP - seleniumbase: 1 MCP server tracked, 1 maintained, 13,024 combined stars.
Not sold on either?
The next-ranked browser automation servers we track:
Quick answers
Is Playwright MCP better than SeleniumBase MCP?
Package installs favor Playwright MCP: 23,360,601 monthly installs to 2,076,176. SeleniumBase MCP still ranks #3 of 255 maintained browser automation servers. Data as of 2026-09-18; we haven't hands-on tested either.
Can I use Playwright MCP and SeleniumBase MCP together?
Yes - MCP clients accept multiple servers in one config, so you can enable both browser automation servers side by side. If their tools overlap, keep the one whose toolset fits to keep your agent's tool list lean.
Keep exploring: best browser automation servers · TypeScript servers · Python servers · all comparisons · every server
Methodology: package-usage signal = npm/PyPI installs (last month, platform APIs) · maintenance = commit recency + release cadence (GitHub) · tool lists and environment-variable names extracted from each project's README · endpoint auth from our own nightly probes. We haven't hand-tested these servers; everything here is data as of 2026-09-18.